Motor-driven suction-sweeper.



E. HUNSICKER.

moms DRIVEN SUCTION SWEEPER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10.1918.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES:

ATTO R N EY E. HUNSICKER.

MOTOR 'DRWEN SUCHON SWEEPER. APPLICATION FILED luLY'lo. was.

Patented Feb, 18, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

vamo'n WITNESSES:

EMMA. HUNSICKEB, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

MOTOR-DRIVEN SUCTION-SWEEPER.

naa'aaes.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMMA HUNSICKER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor- Driven Suction-Sweepers and do hereby declare that the fOllOWing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My present invention relates to new and useful improvements in friction drive connections and more particularly and directly to the provision of an improved drive connection between the fan shaft and the brush of a vacuum cleaner of that conventional type wherein the fan and brush are located in a common casing, the fan rotating on a vertical axis, and the brush rotating on a horizontal axis, and disposed a considerable distance forwardly of the fan shaft.

The driving connection between these partsusually comprises a belt trained about pulleys on the fan and brush shafts, but such belts are found to be unsatisfactory due to the element of Wear and the difficulty of maintaining proper driving tension thereof, necessitating frequent replacement. It

is primarily the object of my invention to provide a driving connection between the fan and brush shafts which is permanent in nature as compared to a belt connection, and which is provided with means for automatically maintaining driving tension between its various parts, so that a minimum 1 amount of attention thereto is required in continued operation.

A further object resides in the provision of means for varying the drive ratio between the fan and brush shafts.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention resides more particularly in the novelcombination, for-' mation and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

111 the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view through the vacuum cleaner having the improved drive' connection therein, this view being taken on a plane indicated in a general manner by the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, portions of the mechanism being cut away short of this plane to more clearly indicate construction. Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken on a plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. l and looking upwardly.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

Application filed July 10, 1918. Serial No. 244,216.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 5 designates a con- Ventional vacuum cleaner casing on which is mounted a motor casing 6 having a vertical shaft 7 secured in the hollow upper end of a fan shaft 8 carrying the fan plates 9. Mounted in the forward portion of the casing is the brush shaft 10, said forward portion of the casing being divided from the upper portion by a partition wall 11 which terminates short of the fan shaft whereby a vacuum passage is provided in the usual manner from the front portion of the casing to the usual neck 12 at its rear upper portion, to which the mouth of the receiving sack is attachable by screws 13. A rear casing wall 14 extends downwardly below the neck 12 and the usual bottom plate 15 extends forwardly from this wall to a line adjacent to the brush. The casing is supported by the forward wheels 16 and rear wheels 17 and is propelled by the usual handle 18.

All of the foregoing is conventional structure, and the present invention resides solely in the provision of an improved drive connection between the vertical fan shaft 8 and the horizontal brush shaft 10, replacing the. usual twisted belt connection.

In carrying out the invention, the lower end of the fan shaft, which is reduced and threaded, has loosely mounted thereon a friction drive disk 19 Which is resiliently urged upwardly by a mushroom spring 20 mounted on the shaft and engaged by adjusting nut 21-threaded on the shaft. Relative rotation of the disk and shaft is pre vented by a pin 19 upstanding from the disk and slidablv engaged in the shaft at the shoulder formed by reducing itslower end. The bottom plate of the casing is cut away, whereby access may be had to this adjusting nut, which cutaway portion is normally closed by a door plate 22. Secured on the central portion of the brush shaft 10 is a roller 23 having a transversely concave peripheral surface. Extending between and in frictional engagement w th the wheel 23 and drive disk 19 are a serles of, in the present instance, three drive wheels 24, 25 and 26 respectively, and the pmtles of these wheels are mounted in boxes 27, slidable in longitudinally extended slots 28 in the sides 29 of a gear frame. The forward ends of the frame sides 29 are extended upwardly and connected by a transverse portion 30 through whichis pivoted a bolt 31 threaded in, a boss depending from the partition wall 11. An arm 32 extends rearwardly from the frame, and has its rear end laterally directed at 33 for threaded reception of a clamping bolt 34 passed through a horizontal slot 35 in and rearwardly opposite portion 36 of the casing Wall 14, this portion 36 of the wall being curved on an are having as its center the pivotal axis of the frame aiforded by the bolt 31. A cover plate 37 for the slot is mounted on the bolt 34. It is also noted that the transverse curvature of the brush shaft wheel 23 is concentric to the pivotal axis of the frame, and the periphery of the drive wheel 26 which engages therewith, is provided with a corresponding convex curvature. The drive wheel 24: engages on the drive disk 'l9, said disk being urged against the wheel by the spring 20, and thus by swinging the frame on the bolt 31 a variation of the drive ratio between the fan shaft and brush shaft may be most readily procured and the frame is firmly held in any desired position by the clamping bolt 34.

For holding all of the wheels resiliently in driving contact, pins 38 project outwardly from the sides 39 of the drive wheel frame and have secured thereto the adjacent ends of a pair of contractile springs 40 which have their other ends secured to pins 41 projecting outwardly from the slidable bearing boxes ofthe drive wheel 2i. lhus both the wheels 24 and 25 are urged against the wheel 23 which is held against sliding movement by contact with the wheel 23 to thus hold all of the friction surfaces in engagement.

lhus any wear which might occur on the friction surfaces is automatically taken up by the springs and a driving connection is procured which is very durable and positive -in use. Attention is further directed to the comparative simplicity of the structure and to the ease'with which it may be embodied in the conventional design of vacuum cleaners now in use.

While it have shown and described my improved drive connection as solely in connectlon with a vacuum cleaner, it is obvious that various features are present in the connection which may find application under other conditions involving the variable transmission of power.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination with a casing and brush and fan shafts mounted therein, of a drive disk on the fan shaft, a wheel on the brush shaft, a train of drive wheels in drive connection with the disk and the first named wheel, and means resiliently urging said wheels and disk into frictional engagement.

2. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination menace with a casing and brush and fan shafts mounted therein, of a. drive disk on the fan shaft, a wheel on the brush shaft, in train of drive Wheels in the casing, one of said endmost wheels engagin the first named wheel, the other endmost wlieel engaging the .disk, and means for adjusting the disk engaging drive wheel radially with respect to the disk.

3. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination with a casing and brush and fan shafts mounted therein, of a drive disk on the fan shaft, a wheel on the brush shaft, a train of drive wheels slidably mounted in the casing, one of the endmost wheels being engaged with the brush wheel, means resiliently urging said train'of wheels together and toward the brush wheel, and means resiliently urging the drive disk into frictional engagement with the other endmost wheel.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination with a casing and brush and fan shafts mounted therein, of a drive disk on the fan of the said drive wheel with the drive disk.

In a vacuum cleaner, the combination 'with a casing and brush and fan shafts mounted therein, of adisk on the fan shaft, a wheel on'thebrush shaft, a frame having one end pivotally mounted in the casing adjacent the wheel, a train of drive wheels carried by the frame, one end drive wheel being in engagement with the first mentioned wheel and the other end drive wheel being in engagement with the drive disk, a rear portion of the casing being curved on an arc concentric to the ivoted axis of the frame and provided wit1 a slot and a clamping bolt assed through said slot and having threa ed connection with the frame for adjustably holding said frame.

6. A drive connection of the class described comprising the combination with a pair of shafts, of drive members on the shafts, a train of drive wheels, one of said endmost wheels being engaged with the drive member of one of the shafts, means resiliently urging all of the drive wheels together and toward the said specified drive member, and means resiliently urging the drive member of the other shaft into engage ment with the other end drive wheel.

7 A drive connection of the class described comprising a pair of shafts disposed in angular relation, a wheel on one of the shafts, a drive disk on the other shaft, a frame ivoted adjacent the said wheel, a tram of drive wheels carried by the frame, one of the end drive wheels being in engagement with the disk, and means for adjustits ' train 0 drive wheels, bearings for said drive frame, one of wheels slidably carriedbly s mg in engagethe endmost drive whee ment' with the first wheel, springs secured to the frame and the bearings of the other end drive wheel for urging said wheels together and toward the first wheel, and said other end drive wheel being in engagement with the drive disk. a

9. A drive connection of the class described comprising a pair of shafts disposed in angular relation, a wheel on one of they shafts, audrive disk onthe other shaft, a frame ivoted adjacent the said wheel, a train 0 drive wheelsgcarried by the frame, one of the end drive wheels being in engagement with the first named wheel, the other end drive wheel being in engagement with the disk, the engaging faces of the first named wheel'and adjacent end drive wheel being oppositely curved with their contacting ortions concentric to the pivotal axis of t e wheel, and means for ad usting the frame on its pivot to vary the engagement of the disk and said wheel.

10. A drive connection of the class described comprising a pair of shafts disposed in angular relation, a wheel on one of the shafts, a drive disk on the other. shaft, a frame pivoted adjacent the said wheel, a train of drive wheels, bearings for said drive wheels slidably carried by the frame, one of the end drive wheels being in engagement with the first named wheel, means resiliently urging the bearings of the other end drive wheel toward the first named wheel and said other end drive wheel being enga ed with the disk.

n testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.

' EMMA HUNSICKER. 

